Pentagon Spox John Kirby Dodges Question on Afghanistan Evacuation Plan from Fox’s Jennifer Griffin: I’m Not Going to ‘Monday Morning Quarterback’

Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin pressed Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby on Monday on why the United States has not reopened Bagram Air Base or get an agreement from Qatar to evacuate people from outside Kabul, where Americans and Afghan allies are being evacuated from the airport there, which Griffin called a “choke point.”

During the Pentagon press briefing, Kirby accused Griffin of “Monday morning quarterbacking” over the issue of Bagram Air Base, which the United States gave up to the Afghan government in July amid the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and has since been occupied by the Taliban.

“Given the number of people who are in hiding who were either [Special Immigrant Visa] recipients, some Americans, Afghan allies, why not reopen Bagram Air Base? Why not go get an agreement from the Qataris to come land in Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif, elsewhere,” asked Griffin. “We saw the Qataris bring the [Taliban co-founder] Mullah [Abdul Ghani] Baradar back with a C-17. Why not use the Pakistanis and the Qataris to help bring people out from? Because right now you’re just bringing people out from Kabul and it’s a choke point.”

“Well, first of all, the throughput has improved and increased,” responded Kirby, who went on to say, “I don’t think it would be a useful expenditure of our time to Monday morning quarterback the whole issue with Bagram. It was closed down as part of the retrograde, Jen.”

“I’m not talking about Monday morning quarterbacking,” Griffin interjected. “I’m talking about why not look at the situation now. You need airfields that you can land on to get people out.”

Griffin wanted to get a response from Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staff’s deputy director for regional operations. But Kirby took a shot at answering first.

“We are improving our throughput at Hamid Karzai International Airport and we think that we’ll be able to continue to try to improve that,” said Kirby. “That’s the goal.”

“But what you’re talking about is – would be an expenditure of resources and personnel as well as an increase, most, likely to the threat that they’re under to try to go back and, as you put it, retake Bagram air base, which is the size of a small city,” continued Kirby. “And I understand a lot of people have views and opinions about this.”

Kirby went on to explain that the air base was closed as part of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and that it “was the last base to be turned over to the Afghans.”

“And even as recently as three weeks ago, before we actually had to conduct an noncombatant evacuation operation the leaders in this building ran a table top exercise on what it would be like to run an effective neo-operation out of Hamid Karzai International Airport and we’re running that play now,” said Kirby. “It’s not without its challenges for sure but we’re doing that now and that’s the focus is on making sure that we can get as many people out as possible using Hamid Karzai International Airport.

“And Jen, the numbers are showing that it’s working. Nobody’s taking it for granted,” he continued. “Don’t want to be predictive about tomorrow. But it’s working.”

Kirby asked Taylor if he had anything to add. Taylor declined.

Since the end of July, the United States has evacuated approximately 42,000 people and 37,000 people since Aug. 14, when the Taliban took over Kabul, according to the Pentagon.

Watch above, via CNN.